Up here in Oregon we have Ruffed, Blues, and Sage grouse. In the western part of the state where i live it is all ruffeds and blues, and though there are decent popuations of blues around, they are hard to come by. I ususally manage about one per season along with my many ruffeds...though i only hunt them for about 3 weeks until duck season starts. then it's all about the quackers.

here is the first blue i shot...got him 3 seasons ago. he was a beauty. (note the Mossberg 835 Ultimag in the pic...that was before i was converted to the world of Benelli. he he.)

i believe they have those in the mountains in the nw part of SC. ruffed too i think. i see them and have wanted to try hunting them when i go up to NC fly fishing. i understand they are a pretty tasty bird to. i sure wouldn't mind trying my hand at them.

When I get home tonight I will try to dig up some pictures of some ditch chickens... I have a picture with my lab retrieving a big grouse at 9 weeks, its pretty funny... I love grouse hunting, you hike your butt off only to get in the pickup and limit from the road....

They are so dumb... I can remember camping and chasing them with my bow, we would drive around on the quads and on every corner they would be in the road. They are pretty fun to hunt with a bow.... Tasty too!

we have a bunch of blue grouse in the mountains around here too. they're mighty tasty in elk camp and fun to shoot with a bow. I had to stop shooting them during elk archery season b/c it seemed whenever I was chasing grouse there was always an elk around the corner. It does help break up the miles you put in going for elk.

I hunt ruffed and blues in the mountains of Utah and Idaho. We have good numbers in both states from year to year. The terrain is as steap as anyone can imagine, but it is fun. They hold surprisingly well for points. fun stuff certainly challenging on the wing in the timber, and tasty too.

I shot my first bird today with my new 870 super mag I bought last Sunday. It was a Ruffed Grouse from the Mt. Hood Natl Forest.

What a great day to be in the woods! It was so nice out...cool at elavation but a warm day, sunny, and I took a beating humping the hills.

Hiked to Middle Rock Lake, Upper Rock Lake, and 1/2 way to Serene Lake before light started to fade.

I saw my first cougar in the wild. I came around a bend in the road near High Rocks campground on my way to Fraizer Turnaround. It was about 40 yeards ahead if me on the down hill side of the road, crossed the road and bolted up hill...What a treat! [/list]

I used to live in Oregon they have a good number of grouse both ruffed and blues they are easy to hunt from the road butt what wouldnt be they are challenging though if you chase you quarry in the woods. I would take my old brittany and walk into clear cutts, (thats newly cutt timber ) The grouse would thrive there during opening month. You would find them still in there family groups 5 plus birds butt when you missed one he would often times fly into the closest tree and just stare at you. I actually got GUS (MY OLD PUP) to point some in a tree it was so funny he could smell them and would point and they would be in a tree 30 feet or so above him he was always suprised to see a dead blue grouse or ruffed fall out of the tree and land with in inches of him pointig, butt he was happy the retrieving job was easy for him lol

Anyone been hitting the grouse in Michigan? Nothern Michigan has some up there. We flushed a few in Lovells the other weekend. I was tough hunting because of the leaves still on the trees. But they are there.

I found lots of birds in Dec. around Grayling. You might go awhile with no flushes, and then find 5 or 10 together. Stick to the heavier evergreen covers and you can usually have pretty good luck in the later season.